Alabama

South Alabama players Wes Saxton (13) and Shavarez Smith (1) celebrate a big play last season. The Jaguars were tabbed to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference coaches' poll for the upcoming season. The poll was released Saturday. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie, courtesy of South Alabama)

The South Alabama football team is picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference football race this season according to a poll of the league's coaches, which the league released on Saturday.

Troy University is picked to finish right behind the Jaguars in fourth place.

Louisiana-Lafayette, a co-champion last season with Arkansas State, is the unanimous selection to win the Sun Belt title this season. Arkansas State is picked to finish second. Louisiana-Monroe is tabbed to finish fifth, with Texas State at No. 6.

Appalachian State is the highest-rated of the league's four new additions. It is picked to finish seventh, followed by another newcomer, Georgia Southern, at eighth. Idaho, also new to the league -- it, along with New Mexico State, is a football-only member -- is picked ninth, with Georgia State slotted at No. 10 and New Mexico State last at No. 11.

A year ago, South Alabama was picked to finish seventh in the then-eight-team conference race. Instead, the Jaguars posted a 6-6 overall record and 4-3 league mark that tied them for third place. The final win of the season was a 30-8 victory over Lafayette that prevented the Ragin' Cajuns from winning the title outright.

South Alabama closed last season by winning three consecutive games. That put the team at 6-6 in its first season as a full Football Bowl Subdivision and made the Jags bowl eligible. The team did not receive a bowl invitation. Lafayette and Arkansas State finished 5-2 in league play last year. The Jags tied for third with Troy, Western Kentucky and Monroe. Texas State finished seventh at 2-5 and Georgia State was winless at 0-7 and finished last.

Western Kentucky is now joined Conference USA.

Here is the voting in the coaches' poll (first-place votes in parenthesis):